'The world surely has changed after my disappearance.' Thought Lucifer as he stood atop the tip of a giant pine tree. He scanned the nearby locations for anything he could remember, only to see nothing even slightly reminiscent of the places in his memory.

In the distance, far east near a stream he could see rising black smoke-----a sign of civilization.

Smiling, his figure suddenly vanished.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

"Don't get any closer!" She screamed as her body threatened to give out. Clutching the huge gaping wound on her stomach, she felt as if her guts were about to fall out, the blood flowing down from her wound was like a stream, if the wound didn't kill her first the blood loss would.

Already pale, she watched as her life force spilled on the ground. The only thing that kept her conscious was pure strength of will. She wasn't prepared to die yet.

The three men in front of her slowly stepped forward with big grins plastered on their faces, one of them licking the blood off the sword that sliced open her gut.

"Ah, elven blood, a treasured product with the ability to preserve a person's youth." Said one of the men handling a small tomahawk, his eyes focused on her.

"Is that what your after!?" She shouted, anger flaring up from her depths as her blood boiled. She wasn't even a living being in the men's eyes, but rather a big profit.

All three of the men laughed, then the one in the middle, the biggest one that had sliced her open looked at her with serious eyes.

"You're wrong, you see, the value of elven blood might be high, but the value of their hearts," he licked his lips, "is priceless. It is believed to give a person an elf's lifespan and greatly increase someone's mana and magical affinity if eaten."

She grimaced as images of what the men would do to her flashed in her mind. The fear that gripped her overcame her rage as tears started flowing down her face.

Her fire magic was her only means of defense, but with the pain from her wound she couldn't concentrate to cast even a tiny spark.

Seeing the men get closer, she closed her eyes.

'Please...' She pleaded to anything that she could, anything that could save her, but she knew nothing was there to heed her call.

Awaiting her grim fate she waited to be struck down, at this point she only wished for a quick death.

She heard a loud sound causing her body to shiver as it tensed up. She knew that her death was next, and yet... nothing came.

Opening her eyes ever so slightly, a scene of beautiful carnage entered her vision.

The ground and trees were stained with deep red color forming a flower-like pattern, and in the middle of it all was a man in a black suit, his slit golden eyes staring right into her as if unraveling her every secret.

She couldn't make sense of the situation, but the closer she looked, the more she saw the true beauty of the person before her. The amount of pure, crimson colored mana that swirling around the man like a tempest was simply awe inspiring. He radiated a chilling aura of calm, sharp bloodlust, yet with a warm gentleness underneath.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"A-angel..." She muttered as she took a step forward, both hands outstretched as they tried to reach out towards the man, but almost immediately she felt something else overtake her-----darkness.

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

Reaching the spot he saw earlier, Lucifer was met with noting but a small patch of scorched earth and a trail of blood going upstream.

Then, he heard a scream in the distance together with the scent of an elf and three men. He felt a type of sadistic bloodlust from the three men and the scent of blood from the bed elf.

"I see..." He muttered upon realizing the situation.

Although he already felt exhausted, with the amount of chi in his body nearly rock bottom, and with less than 1/12 of his mana remaining, even he could get overpowered by a group of well trained bandits at his current state, but then...

He remembered the promise he made with the elven princess.

Unforgettable memories resurfaced opening up old wounds.

It was a lifelong debt he incurred.

And here he was now.

Running upstream he followed the stench of blood, using magic to hasten his speed.

He saw them, three men and a cornered---dying young elf.

Using the element of surprise he jumped straight into the middle of the three men.

Almost spontaneously, he used his last remaining chi to strengthen his left hand, making his open palm sharper than a sword.

Taking a sword stance he used his palm like a blade. Speed, dexterity and mastery was the key of his attack.

Like a whirlwind he struck immediately, not even giving the men time to notice his existence before slicing them apart as he spun around.

Skin, flesh, bone---everything was severed, crimson spilling outwards as the process repeated itself over and over again instantaneously.

Soon, he was finished. Only broken weapons, tiny shredded pieces of cloth, and diced pieces of flesh remained of the three men.

He stood in the middle of a blooming red flower he had planted. A slight feeling of pride welled up in Lucifer at seeing his own handiwork, but he had more pressing concerns.

Checking on the elf girl, he heard her mutter some words before suddenly reaching out to him. Seeing her fall to the ground, he dashed to her side and caught her.

Feeling something wet and squishy on his arm, he realized the severity of the situation. 'Her intestines are sliding out.'

- 0 - 0 - 0 -

She was walking in the darkness, not a soul in sight. There was no way to know which path was forward. Then, she saw herself in the distance together with three men.

She casted a fire spell, but she wasn't fast enough. One of the men threw a dagger that embedded itself in her elbow, causing the magic to miss, and almost immediately another man dashed towards her, slashing open her stomach.

She ran, but she was too wounded to escape. She knew her life would end at that moment, any yet she couldn't help but plead for someone to help her.

And then it came...

The crimson angel.

...

......

.........

"Haah... Haah... Haah..."

She jolted up, suddenly awaken from her dream. Her chest, rising and falling rapidly.

Catching her breath, she calmed herself. Then, something important was recalled.

'My stomach!' She screamed internally, panicking as she threw away the blanket that covered her body. Lifting up her bloodstained shirt she looked at her stomach and was shocked to realize it was completely okay. There wasn't even the slightest of scars.

Her eyes suddenly darted at her surrounding.

It was already deep within the night. She was on a makeshift bed made out thick, yet comfortable cloth of unknown origin. A fire rested nearby, and beside it was a wooden basket that emanated the smell of berries.

'Where is he?'

Looking to her sides she saw nobody, but as she moved her gaze upward she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.

There he was.

The man that saved her, laying his back on the trunk of a huge pine tree as he sat on its branch, his golden eyes giving off a soft glow as he gazed at the sky. A vicious predatorial aura covering his entire being.

She then realized that he wasn't gazing at the stars above, but rather-----he had fallen asleep with open eyes.

Then, as if feeling the recoil from her earlier injury, she felt drowsiness take hold of her body.

She couldn't refuse the call of the warm sheets. If it were just her, she wouldn't be able to sleep out of fear of being killed while she rested, but with the angel watching her, all her anxiety disappeared, together with the rest of her fears.

Eyelids heavy, body weakening, she couldn't help but allow the darkness to take her.